DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Everything Else... Grossi leaves Plain Dealer, joins WKNR

WKNR-AM hires Tony Grossi for Browns 'beat'


CLEVELAND -- WKNR-AM ESPN 850 has hired Tony Grossi as its official Browns beat reporter.

The move comes after Grossi announced via Twitter he will be leaving the Plain Dealer after more than 30 years.

The official announcement from WKNR-AM is expected on Monday.

Back in January, Grossi was taken off of the Browns beat after sending a controversial tweet about owner Randy Lerner.

Grossi covered the Browns and the NFL for over 20 years.

Grossi has also appeared on numerous Browns related programming on WKYC-TV such as "The Point After" and the "Pregame Huddle."

WKYC-TV

http://www.wkyc.com/news/article/234581/4/WKNR-AM-hires-Tony-Grossi-for-Browns-beat

I'm glad the guy got another chance. He made 1 mistake, you shouldn't lose your career over that, when you've put in 30 years of solid work. I don't agree with everything he says, just happy he could continue to follow the nfl.

I'm glad too. I think he'll do a good job for WKNR, and add some legitimacy to their coverage.

He won't bring me to listen to KNR. Rizzo pushed me away and the hiring of grossi makes me even more wary of the station.

he's the most irrelevant beat writer in the world. A pathetic figure.

I wish no man ill,, but he did this to himself.. I wish him well....

Actually it's kinda weird, because just this morning I was reading the NFL news on the Plain Dealer website, and couldn't find anything written by Grossi. Now I know why.

Well, I'mm never hear anything from Grossi ever again, because I don't listen to WKNR.

Wow! I wish him a fair shake; glad to see that he is working. Is this a step up? I do not know the station. . . .

Say what you want, I prefer him over May Kay...

Our Day Will Come
Mar 13, 2012 -- 6:13am
By Tony Grossi

My son is 7 years old and smarter than me.

When he was 5, we were talking about the Super Bowl as I was packing for another trip to cover it for The Plain Dealer. He wanted to go with me. I told him he could do that one day, when the Browns were in the Super Bowl.

I told him how much fun that would be, how there would be a big send-off party as the team left Cleveland for the big game, and more parties in the days before kickoff. I told him it would be so much fun that it probably wouldn’t even matter whether the Browns won or lost the game.

“Daddy,” he said. “Are we going to have to move to go to a Super Bowl?”

It was one of those priceless moments. We laughed. Then I was sad.

That was the moment I wondered if he ever would see the Browns in a Super Bowl. I was sad for the generation of fans who’ve already grown up never having much to cheer about, while their fathers and mothers cursed at the TV or turned it off in disgust.

I covered the Browns for The Plain Dealer starting with the 1984 season. My second year on the beat, the Browns won their division and made the playoffs. They did it the next year and the year after that, made it as a wild card the following year, and then returned as division champions again.

I was so young and naive; I thought it was supposed to be like that every year. Little did I know those would be the good old days.

So here I am, 28 years later, embarking on a new career path with ESPNCleveland.com and ESPN 850 WKNR. It’s an exciting time. It will be more so when the Browns start winning again. It will happen.

My philosophy on reporting and commenting on the Browns always has been that the franchise may be owned by an individual, but it is the property of the city of Cleveland and its passionate fans. The tradition of the Browns is such that the emotional and economic spirit of the city is dictated much by how the team performs.

I believe this bond was strengthened, not weakened, by the three-year exile of the franchise when Art Modell stole the old team to Baltimore.

No city in history protested so loudly upon losing its bedrock sports franchise. To get one back – a clean expansion franchise and not another city’s forsaken one – we agreed to pay for a new stadium and buy the new suites and club seats. We vowed to support it just as ardently as we did the old one.

The payback was that the franchise would give us something to cheer about again. And when it matured into a winner, it would revitalize the economy. I truly feel a championship-caliber Browns team would do more for Cleveland than five casinos and convention centers.

This is a very scary relationship. We invest our hearts and our money into something that most of us have no control over. That’s why those responsible for the makeup of the team have to be constantly held accountable by us.

I’ve tried to do that for 28 years. Sometimes it’s gotten me in trouble. But I intend to maintain that philosophy in this wonderful new role with ESPNCleveland.com and ESPN 850 WKNR.

You’ll be seeing many of my usual features here, plus more exciting ones on the drawing board. We’ll be blogging, posting, writing, chatting and coming to you on video. Tweeting, too, but NO DIRECT MESSAGING. And get your questions ready, because “Hey Tony” is making a comeback.

And in the spirit of new beginnings, I have lifted my moratorium on uniform questions. Thank my son for that one.


***************


Tony Grossi covers the Browns for ESPN 850 WKNR and www.espncleveland.com. He has covered the Browns with distinction since 1984 and is one of 44 voters for the National Football League Hall of Fame.

Email your “Hey Tony” questions to tgrossi@espncleveland.com

Follow Tony on Twitter @tonygrossi

http://www.espncleveland.com/Blog

He was on Channel 3 last night being interviewed,, I fell asleep so I didn't see it.

I liked the "NO DIRECT MESSAGING" comment...LOL

So I went to Channel three, searched and came up with this video of last nights interview of Grossi by Donovan

http://www.wkyc.com/video/1503262196001/53384493001/%40-The-Table-Grossis-new-role

Essentially I'll give you the short version, he's going to continue to cover the Browns but NOT for the PD.. Instead, he's covering them for ESPNCleveland.com and WKNR Radio.

TO me that settles it. Lerner and the Browns didn't demand that the Plain Dealer remove him from the beat.. otherwise, he wouldn't still be on the beat with a different outlet.

the weird think with MK was that she wasn't writing good stories before Grossi left. why did she wait?

My question is--how did he get any kind of Browns-related job, in light of what happened to him at the PD? The Browns are not happy with what went down, and now they have to deal with him but in a different medium!

Granted, some of his articles are okay to good, but most of the OBR and Dawgtalkers writers could write better ledes and copy than Grossi.

I think he got lucky. Most normal people, if let go from the PD, would be still looking for a job.

I have always liked Grossi.



Leaving the newspaper is a good break for him. Newspapers are on the way out in a hurry.

I agree; I'm just surprised he got another Browns-related job. And most of the board has better writing skills than Mr. Grossi.

Quote:

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And most of the board has better writing skills than Mr. Grossi.

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Seriously? Apparently you haven't been reading much of the stuff on here lately.

Face it. You're just jealous that Tony has the job that you want but can't get.